I'll Be Yours
by Sachiie
Summary: A one-shot Vincent and Yuffie fluff after the planet has been saved.


A/N: This is a short one-shot fic with lots of Vincent and Yuffie fluff. It was inspired by _I'll Be Yours by Placebo, while being driven back home from the cinema. Enjoy___

Yuffie had run to the temple as soon as she heard the news. People called out to her, expressing their sorrow, but she had ignored them, just like she had ignored Chekov when the dreaded words had tumbled out of her mentor's mouth. Although the shrine to the water God was cold and lonely, the ninja found some sort of solace from it, just as she had done when she was much younger. She collapsed in a familiar corner, and drew her knees close up to her chest, horrible thoughts and memories parading around her brain. __

_How could this happen?_

Huge brown eyes dulled by grief stared at the extravagantly decorated pagoda wall. She remembered helping her parents repaint the temple. Even as a three year old, Yuffie was quite the brat and had insisted on restoring the pagoda to its full glory. After it was all done, the three of them made plans to organise the grandest festival ever. Her mother had even made her a new kimono for the occasion; it was lilac with beautifully stitched rose petals on it. Yuffie still had the outfit to this day.

_How could this happen to _me_?_

A choked sob forced its way from her throat, soon followed by tears flowing down dirt stained cheeks. The dark haired teenager buried her face in her knees and burst into tears, not caring if anyone knew. Yuffie, the tough talking ninja, was dropping all her carefully built barriers in one go. It was probably the most vulnerable she had been since she had lost her mother to cancer.

_Why didn't he _tell_ me he was dying?_ She asked herself. _I could have done something!  I could have asked Aerith to look at him! I could have saved__ him._

She rocked back and forth slightly, playing different scenarios in her head all involving the heroic rescue of her father from his ill-timed fate.

"I'm not ready for you to die." She whispered hoarsely.

"No one is ever ready for their loved ones to die."  

The ninja looked up, eyes dilated in surprise and fright. Kneeling in front of her was the person she had least expected to see. Gone was the red cloak that concealed most of his black covered body. Gone was the matching headband barely keeping his stray locks in place; instead a scarlet ribbon contained the silky strands in a neat ponytail. He had traded his standard black outfit for a white poet's shirt and plain black trousers. While he still held onto the gothic image, his overall appearance was a lot neater and less intimidating, save for the claw that was currently placed on Yuffie's shoulder.

"V-Vincent?" Her trembling voice was a ghost of itself.

Still keeping eye contact with the ninja, Vincent shifted his position until he was sitting cross legged in front of her.  

"Hush, it's okay." Yuffie found herself using the soft tone Vincent always used strangely comforting; she had often found herself wincing with frustration in the past when the vampiresque man didn't change pitches when talking to any of them.

"You are allowed to weep, Yuffie. Life is not fair. Even when we think we have repented for our sins, it does not matter in the long run. Death has no pity on whom he takes."

_Is he talking about me or himself?_ Yuffie stared up at the haunted man with watery eyes. _Or maybe even both of us? _ She had never appreciated his odd little speeches before; now she understood what he meant.

"I just...I just wish..." She paused to wipe her nose with the back of her hand, not caring what Vincent thought of her unladylike behaviour. "I just wish I could've been there for him, you know? I keep thinking that maybe if I hadn't gone away, maybe if I wasn't so wrapped up in my own life, then I would've been able to save him..."  

The ninja trailed off, frowning. Vincent looked startled, almost as if he were just realising something. She opened her mouth to ask what was bothering him, but was abruptly stopped by a long and elegant finger being pressed to her trembling lips.

"There was nothing you could do, Yuffie. You cannot stop natural death. It is not your fault he was suffering from cancer. There was nothing you could do, so blaming yourself is fruitless."  

_Hypocrite!_ she wanted to scream.  _You're constantly beating yourself up over Lucrecia when it wasn't even your fault! However, again she was prevented, only this time by a fresh shower of tears.  _

On seeing this, Vincent released her shoulder and opened up his arms. "Come," he said as she crawled into his embrace. He wrapped his arms around her securely and held her close while she drenched his new shirt with salty tears of sadness. As he rocked her back and forth, he gently put his chin on top of her head, making small soothing noises. To him, she was like a lost and frightened kitten. He knew that what she needed right now was someone solid she could use as a temporary barrier until she found enough courage to rebuild her own. Someone who understood what pain she was going through.  Someone who would let her cry to her hearts content, no matter how long it took. Someone like him.  

Eventually her sobbings subsided into little sniffs accompanied by the occasional hiccup. "Hush, it's okay," he repeated, tenderly stroking her hair with his natural fingers.    
  
"Is it?" The ninja's voice was shaky, and he could see the doubt and fear clouding her eyes as she looked up at him.

Vincent drew away from Yuffie and took her chin delicately in his strong yet thin fingers.  He stayed like that for a while, simply gazing into her almond shaped eyes, noticing for the first time how beautiful they were. During their travels in AVALANCHE, he had appreciated that she was a rather pretty for a tomboy, but hadn't really investigated into it. Now he was up close and seeing a part of Yuffie that was kept hidden under the surface, what he saw was beauty surpassing even Lucrecia's famous charm.

He didn't want Yuffie to suffer the same fate he had for the past twenty years. He didn't want that beauty to be erased by years of mourning. She was so young, and had so much to live for and so much to learn.  

His eyes softened when he realised that he would have to be the one to show her the world. If she didn't accept him and wanted someone else to take care of her, he would leave her be. Vincent knew he had to try, though: this was his final chance at achieving redemption. If he could save Yuffie's soul, he could save his own soul.

They would save each other. 

"I'll be your father," he whispered, dipping his head down and pressing his forehead lightly to hers. Still he continued staring into her chocolate coloured eyes, and was pleased to note that she wasn't breaking the connection between them. 

Maybe there was hope for him, after all.

Encouraged, Vincent continued.  "I'll be your mother."  His human fingers moved upwards to softly stroke her hair.  He took note of the fine trembling that had taken control of the small ninja's body, but still continued his administrations to her hair. She slowly lowered her eyelids and titled her face upwards. She was accepting him.

Vincent knew what to do next.

"I'll be your lover." He pressed his lips gently onto hers for barely five seconds before drawing away again, not wanting to damage the fragile teenager. Vincent gently caressed her cheek with his thumb, holding his breath. What would she say next?  
  
When Yuffie eventually re-opened her eyes, they were swimming in tears. "I'll be yours," she whispered, and reciprocated with a short, but sweet, kiss of her own.  

  
Vincent drew her into his embrace and held her until it grew too dark to see anything. Hojo had cursed the ex-TURK with demons, but had also enhanced his senses. Night time was never a problem for Vincent.

He looked down at the ninja in his arms and allowed a small smile to twitch his pale lips upwards.  She had fallen asleep in his embrace, and looked so lovely that Vincent felt like swooning. Very slowly he lifted himself up from the floor and walked to the entrance of the pagoda, making sure he didn't rouse Yuffie from her peaceful slumber.

As he stepped out of the Leviathan temple, he cast his scarlet eyes up the moon.

_Well, then, what next? Will fate allow us to heal our weary souls, or will some new trouble be in store for us?_

Praying to whoever would listen to him that it would be the former, Vincent looked down at the sleeping beauty draped in his arms, and smiled. Whatever happened, he would always be there for her as long as she needed him.

~fin~

    __


End file.
